Without swift action by Congress, the still-growing ranks of unemployed Americans will receive their final round of an additional $ 600 benefit in a matter of days, with no certainty as to when more aid may arrive. And that has led to finger pointing and frustration on Capitol Hill.
“It is a disaster,” representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-ll.) Said, noting that his office has begun to take calls from desperate families. “We have a problem in which we are a kind of crisis-driven culture in Congress, where everyone is holding what they can as hostages.”
“I think it will expire? Yes, because the Senate is not going to act on time, “added Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) On Wednesday.
Lawmakers, particularly Democrats, said it was not surprising in a building where impending deadlines are routine, and even the threat of a government shutdown is no longer enough to force action.
But they say it is far more maddening in the face of a deadly pandemic that has forced 30 million Americans into unemployment.
“I think it reflects badly that we cannot, in the United States Congress, be able to get Mitch McConnell to do something,” said visibly frustrated representative Ben Ray Luján (DN.M.), the No. 5 Democrat in the House.
“You are faced with the urgency that we know it existed a month ago, so I understand the frustration of the American people. It’s very real, ”said Luján, pulling out his cell phone to display text messages from people seeking help after losing their jobs and health insurance.
Republicans, in particular, are in trouble. The House approved a $ 3 trillion coronavirus relief package in May, which would have extended unemployment benefits until January. But Republican leaders immediately dismissed the proposal as a “liberal wish list,” and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Favored a pause in the new stimulus money, while lawmakers evaluated the effectiveness of the previous approved billionaire package. March.
Republicans have also said that the extra $ 600 a week creates a disincentive for people to return to work because many Americans are making more money on unemployment insurance than they would in their normal jobs. But they are in favor of extending benefits in some way, noting that several states have seen sudden increases in coronavirus cases, preventing much of the public from returning to work.
“You cannot ignore the large number of companies that have come to us saying that it is having an impact on their ability to hire workers,” the president of the Senate Small Business Committee, Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) Told reporters. ” It is not an easy needle to thread. “
“I want to help people, but they can’t be paid more for not working than they earned when they worked,” added Senator Lindsey Graham (RS.C.). “But having said that, it ends in July, so I would be willing to do an extension, but I would like to change the model.”
Both the Republican Party and Democratic leaders have promised to protect additional federal unemployment benefits in some way, with Democrats struggling to renew it, while Republicans demand some reforms. And those unemployment benefits are among the top priorities, as negotiations began this week on a fifth round of aid for relief from the coronavirus.
It is the first series of bipartisan talks in months, though lawmakers on both sides acknowledged that they had known for some time that they were going to meet this exact deadline this summer.
The reason is clear, lawmakers say. Congress must be just inches from the edge of a cliff before taking any action on it.
“It’s often difficult to gain momentum to do something until an impending deadline is approaching,” Sen. Josh Hawley (Republican) said in a short interview. “I think it’s partly by design, to be honest with you. Leaders on both sides are seen to wait until they can find a turning point and then try to push hard. ”
“This is a dysfunctional Senate,” added Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). “It is just outrageous that Senator McConnell has refused to take that or part of it to ease anxiety.”
